Celebrated author Farley Mowat dead at 92

Canadian Farley Mowat poses for a photo in a classroom within Farley Mowat Public School in 2006. The conservationist died May 2014.Ottawa Citizen/File/ JANA CHYTILOVA
/ Canada.com

Author Farley Mowat in his home office looking at memorobilia including picture of himself as a 2nd lieutenant in the Hastings Prince Edward Regiment, a picture framed display of his WWII medals, a plaque outside his home office door dedicated to an uncle killed in WWI, before he was born, and with his dog Chester. (Photo by Hugh Wesley)
/ Canada.com

Farley Mowat kisses his wife Clare in an undated handout photo. Canadian author Farley Mowat, a master storyteller and tireless defender of nature and wildlife, has died at age 92. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
/ Canada.com

Author Farley Mowat (right) speaks as David Suzuki looks on during a news conference in Toronto on October 12, 1988. Canadian author Farley Mowat, a master storyteller and tireless defender of nature and wildlife, has died at age 92. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Becker
/ Canada.com

Apr.,14,2005 Author Farley Mowat in his home office looking at memorobilia including picture of himself as a 2nd lieutenant in the Hastings Prince Edward Regiment, a picture framed display of his WWII medals, a plaque outside his home office door dedicated to an uncle killed in WWI, before he was born, and with his dog Chester. (Photo by Hugh Wesley/Postmedia)
/ Canada.com

Ottawa 11/16/06 -L2R Farley Mowat, noted Canadian author, poses for a photo, in a classroom within Farley Mowat Public School, named in his honour, on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006. (JANA CHYTILOVA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN)
/ Canada.com

Author Farley Mowat poses for a photo during a celebration of inductees into the Canadian Walk of Fame, Saturday, October 16, 2010, in Toronto, Ont. (Brett Gundlock/National Post)
/ Canada.com

Farley Mowat, the celebrated Canadian author and conservationist, has died at age 92.

Author of such well-known books as Owls in the Family and Never Cry Wolf, often based on his own experiences, Mowat inspired generations of Canadians with a love for nature and the outdoors. Mowat’s assistant confirmed the death to the Canadian Press Wednesday and his family asked for privacy during this time.

Born in Belleville, Ont., May 12, 1921, Mowat grew up in Windsor and later in Saskatoon, Sask., where he first discovered his love for nature. In addition to exploring the countryside, he raised a menagerie of animals including owls, rattlesnakes and even an alligator, much of which was detailed in his 1957 book The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be.

Mowat’s writing career didn’t start until after the Second World War, however, where he served as a platoon commander and later as an intelligence officer in the Allied invasion of Europe. Upon his return to Canada, he travelled north and found Canada’s Inuit community living in desperate conditions, which inspired 1952′s People of the Deer, a scathing look at government policies that he said hurt Canada’s indigenous people and sparked a national debate about Canadian policy in the Arctic.

Mowat’s career would span over five decades and include more than 40 books translated into dozens of languages, as well as numerous honours such as the Governor-General’s Literary Award and the Order of Canada. His final book Eastern Passage was published in 2010.

Throughout his life, Mowat was adamant that humans learn to live in harmony with the natural world.

“It’s a matter of survival,” he told The Canadian Press in a 2006 interview. “Either we learn to do this, or we cease to exist. We have no God-given right to survive forever. We have screwed up so badly in so many ways so obviously that only utterly stupid species would consider that we have much of a future, as things stand.

“Only by recognizing how far off-track we’ve gone, are we likely to be able to recover our footing and carry on.”

Mowat is survived by his wife Claire and his two children David and Sandy.

Throughout his life, Mowat was adamant that humans learn to live in harmony with the natural world.

“It’s a matter of survival,” he told The Canadian Press in a 2006 interview. “Either we learn to do this, or we cease to exist. We have no God-given right to survive forever. We have screwed up so badly in so many ways so obviously that only utterly stupid species would consider that we have much of a future, as things stand.

“Only by recognizing how far off-track we’ve gone, are we likely to be able to recover our footing and carry on?”

Mowat is survived by his wife Claire and his two children David and Sandy.

—With files from the Canadian Press

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